Mariano Martinez of Dallas needed his popular margaritas to stay consistent. His invention lead to a Mexican restaurant classic- the frozen Margarita. Resources: https://www.laharanch.com/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/uniquely-texas-origins-frozen-margarita-180969339/ https://www.visitdallas.com/things-to-do/dallas-now/2017/07/the-history-of-the-frozen-margarita-begins-in-dallas.htm https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2010/05/frozen-margarita-machine-cinco-de-mayo.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariano_Martinez_(entrepreneur)
That Time Japan Unsuccessfully Bombed Texas
In 1945, two communities in Texas found giant balloons in their fields. Though it was mostly covered up by the US, it turned out it was a failed attempt by the Japanese to cause serious damage from a distance. Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2019/11/18/balloon-bombs-over-texas-it-happened/ https://texasalmanac.com/topics/history/bombing-texas https://tmd.texas.gov/the-long-proud-history-of-the-texas-state-guard-balloon-bombs-in-wwii https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/8573 http://www.texasescapes.com/ClayCoppedge/Bombing-of-Desdemona.htm
The Life Size Wax Last Supper of Ft. Worth
The Christian Art Museum of Fort Worth today houses a giant model of the last supper behind a velvet rope. However, how it got to be there is a funny story. Resources: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/blog/ft-worth-last-supper-wax/ https://www.thedailymeal.com/entertain/texas-weird-facts-gallery/slide-17 https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55857-d4367946-Reviews-Christian_Art_Museum_of_Ft_Worth-Fort_Worth_Texas.html https://www.facebook.com/ChristianArtsMuseumFW/
The Grave of the Chicken Fried Steak, Houston
At the Taste of Texas Restaurant in Houston, there is one item that is permanently off the menu; and, there’s the grave to prove it. Resources: https://www.tasteoftexas.com/ https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/61612#:~:text=Houston%2C%20Texas%3A%20Grave%20of%20Chicken,menu%20item’s%20final%20resting%20place. https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lgc01 https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/07/12/rip-chicken-fried-steak-heres-where-to-find-this-unusual-tombstone-and-14-other-bizarre-houston-area-attractions/
Ding Dong, Texas
In Central Texas, the name of Ding Dong, Texas really stands out, even if the town itself doesn’t. Resources: https://texashillcountry.com/ding-dong-texas-humor/ http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/DingDongTexas/DingDongTexas.htm
The Invention of the Amber Alert
In 1996, the brutal murder of a young girl in Texas would lead to the creation of a missing child identification system across the United States. Resources: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/mourners-pay-tribute-to-amber-hagerman-24-years-after-her-abduction/2291748/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_alert https://amberalert.ojp.gov/
William Henry Ellis- Texas Slave Turned Mexican Millionaire
William Henry Ellis aka Guillermo Enrique Eliseo may have been born poor in Victoria, Texas, but he ended his days wealthy in Mexico City. Resources: The Strange Career of William Ellis: The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire (Norton, 2016) by Karl Jacoby https://www.tpr.org/post/fronteras-how-former-texas-slave-became-millionaire https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/ellis-william-henry-1864-1923/ https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-texas-slave-who-conned-everyone-as-a-mexican-millionaire https://deadline.com/2019/08/producer-phillip-rodriguez-acquires-rights-the-strange-career-of-william-ellis-1202701160/
Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865 word of the end of slavery finally reached Texas. But what is Juneteenth and why is it not more widely celebrated? This episode would not be possible without the men and women referenced below. Please check them out and support them: https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/us/juneteenth-twitter-square-holiday.html
Martyr’s Park, Dallas
Along the highway, under an overpass near where John F. Kennedy was assassinated is a small park often referred to as junk space. It may finally be getting the story of it’s history as a site of racial injustice told. Resources: https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/architecture/2020/01/24/dallas-is-planning-a-lynching-memorial-it-should-think-bigger/ https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/10/06/if-dallas-hates-erasing-history-so-much-why-doesn-t-anyone-know-about-park-honoring-three-slaves-who-were-hanged/ http://www.dallasparks.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Martyrs-Park-580 https://billbetzen.blogspot.com/2017/10/dallas-martyrs-park-and-john-f-kennedy.html https://archinect.com/news/article/150181243/architecture-critic-mark-lamster-proposes-a-new-pedestrian-memorial-park-for-dallas Places you can support to fight racial injustice: ACLU…
The House on the Hill; or the Murder of the Norton Sisters
The death of two wealthy sisters in Llano, Texas initially didn’t set off any alarm bells. That was until a close friend was tied to an arsenic poisoning a few cities away. The Norton ranch stands to this day. Resources: Poison for Profit by Mac B. McKinnon Texas Monthly: Poisoned with Love https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/poisoned-with-love/?fbclid=IwAR1b2gH5bgW_t9r5MG2pv03B4TQo2GaFOMWKLRO6zDaswl5HJFDoICuUbi0 https://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-prisons/inmates/timothy-g-scoggin/1177168/ http://sites.rootsweb.com/~txllano/THE%20HOUSE%20ON%20THE%20HILL.htm…
